irritating

adjective

ir·​ri·​tat·​ing ˈir-ə-ˌtā-tiŋ 

: causing displeasure, anger, or annoyance

an irritating noise/habit

I felt more and more angry. There was something very irritating and aggressive in Summerlee's demeanour.

—Arthur Conan Doyle

irritatingly

ˈir-ə-ˌtā-tiŋ-lē 

adverb

The computer was irritatingly slow.

Synonyms

• abrasive
• aggravating
• annoying
• bothersome
• carking
• chafing
• disturbing
• exasperating
• frustrating
• galling
• irksome
• maddening
• nettlesome
• nettling
• peeving
• pesky
• pestiferous
• pestilent
• pestilential
• pesty
• plaguey
• plaguy
• rankling
• rebarbative
• riling
• vexatious
• vexing

Examples of irritating in a Sentence

his particularly irritating habit of leaving his dirty clothes on the floor

this soap leaves a residue that might be a little irritating if you have sensitive skin

Recent Examples on the Web

And in one of its most irritating adaptation choices this season, TROP places Tom Bombadil under its light-or-shadow umbrella, too, reshaping J.R.R. Tolkien’s beloved and enigmatic woodman character into little more than a Yoda knockoff sagely leading Gandalf in song and toward an obvious destiny. —Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 3 Oct. 2024

Contact dermatitis is characterized by inflammatory skin symptoms that appear after touching an irritating substance or an allergen. —Mark Gurarie, Verywell Health, 30 Oct. 2024

But the low point is its treatment of its female characters, who are painted as irritating, know-it-all nags who just get in the way of a good time. —Dave Nemetz, TVLine, 18 Oct. 2024

Alarm clocks have come a long way from an irritating clanging to wake you out of a slumber at the crack of dawn. —Mason Leib, ABC News, 17 Oct. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1707, in the meaning defined above